Interlude
by BabyBird
Summary: A brief look into Ryoko's haunting past, with a few twists. Approrpriatly set within her brief re-adventure into space. (Slight flirting with the Shin Tenchi line, though not too involved)


****Pre-Authors note: Hmm, how do I place this story? I suppose you could say it follows the Shin Tenchi story line, more or less...probably more...oh! You just have to read it to understand.*****  
  
  
  
She stared out of the window, her eyes fixed on their latest target.  
  
It really was a beautiful planet, like an enormous Jewel hanging in the sky. The Gem of the Universe, yes that's what it was called. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head. It was not worthy of it's own beauty.  
  
"Jurai...".  
  
She had grown up on that planet, immersed in its ancient culture.  
  
Ryoko was chilled inside, on edge, frightened. She had just woken up from another gripping nightmare...  
  
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A very young girl was on her knees in a small room. There was not much in it, save a couch, and a table littered with cans, weapons, and money. The girls eyes were hidden behind cyan hair that was dulled with grime. Her head was bowed, she was trembling....and there was a small trickle of blood running down the side of her head.  
  
"I swear, it wasn't my fault! The princess, the Juraian princess- she destroyed them! She destroyed everything!" she pleaded.  
  
A tall, thick man towered above her. His clothes were dirty, his eyes were bloodshot, and his stance was unsteady, looking as though he might fall backwards any moment. At such small distance from the man, the little girl could sense the familiar, nauseating smell of strong alchohol.  
  
He screamed at her as she cowered before him. "You useless bitch! You eat my food and waste my money! I let you sell those pots and...bitch..you wasted all of them!" He accentuated his drunken slurring by kicking her in her stomach. She couldn't even scream as all the air was forced out of her.  
  
"Not my fault, not my fault..." she cried again, softly as breath returned.  
  
Her pleas only seemed to enrage the already irrational man further. As his blows began to rain down on her small, helpless body, she prayed and prayed that the familiar blackness would claim her quickly this time...  
  
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She wrapped her arms around her and stared out of the window again. She could do this. She would not be weak, she would not be weak, she would not be--  
  
"Ryoko. Assesing our target I see, always the professional."  
  
"Dammit Hotsuma! Don't do that, you startled me."  
  
"Do forgive me princess." he said bowing.  
  
"And don't call me that." She turned around again, staring at the place she swore she would never return to, the setting of her nightmares, that cold, ugly place. Ryoko supressed a shudder. She would not show weakness in the presence of her partner.  
  
Suddenly she felt his hands on her hips as he whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, Ryoko."  
  
"Afraid? Why would I be afraid of some stupid little planet like Jurai?" She didn't move, not wanting to let him know that he had caught her off guard again. She was nervous though- she was sure she hadn't let on anything, and Hotsuma knew nothing of her past, how could he know about the cold fear so deep in her very own soul?  
  
She got her answer when he reached his hand up and gently traced the faded scar on the left side of her neck.  
  
This scar was from very long ago, and was now only a thin, faded white line. One could only see it if they were looking for it. A scar such as this was no ordinary scar from battle. It was a sign of slavery. On Jurai, a slave could be taken by inserting a chip on the left side of the neck. It was a tracker, but it was also a device used to completely deplete any man, woman or child of any and all of their powers. But especially children. That's what Ryoko was when she wandered down the cold streets of Jurai, thats what she was when she had her freedom stolen from her.  
  
But this scar was different from other refugees of slave Juraian slave rings. This one was longer, stretching down from just below her ear to her collar bone. Even though it was all but disappeared, it was the only sensitive spot on her body. She had always been self conscious of it and had never let anyone touch it. Now Hotsuma ran his finger gently down the jagged white line, and Ryoko felt something so strange, sending chills down her spine. Making her shudder. It felt so...  
  
She remembered the night she got it, the night she became free again. She was young, about nine years old. Alone in the basement of a house she shared with about ten other slaves and two masters...  
  
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She couldn't take it any more. Her soul was never meant to bear such sorrow. She saw the knife on the edge of the wooden table. Her young mind so corrupted by the cruelty and hate of this evil planet, she even considered suicide for a moment. She shook her head, she was not a coward. But something in her snapped. It just wasn't fair! Why was she all alone? Why did *she* have to withstand this torture?! She remembered the two men who kidnapped her and inserted the cursed chip into her young flesh. Gods that hurt! She wanted it out of her! She picked up the dirty rags off of the floor and shoved them in her mouth. She would need something to muffle her screams. Picking up the knife, Ryoko jammed it only a little ways into her neck. She screamed at the top of her lungs but she went deeper, up and down until it reached the chip and knocked it out. She remembered lying on the cold stone ground; alone and frightened and surrounded by pools of her own deep, crimson blood. She had bled before, when she was beaten. But it had never been this dark, almost purple color. She shivered in cold and fear.  
  
"Oh gods, what have I done?"  
  
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Her breathing was shaky and shallow, her pulse quickening. She felt Hotsuma's breath on her ear as he said "I know, Ryoko."  
  
Damn. She had kept her secret from the people she had known for years, but was unable to keep it from this man, whom she had known for only two months! How was that possible?  
  
To her strange disappointment, he moved his hand back down to her waist as he said to her, "We don't have to go through with this if you don't want to, Princess."  
  
She opened her eyes again. Jurai, her prison, her hell, was closer now. And the sight made her sick to her stomach. But no, she would not turn away this time.  
  
"I came with you to set fire to the universe, and I can think of no other place I would like to see burn more than Jurai."  
  
"Very well then." Hotsuma said, "Tomorrow, we go. Get some sleep Ryoko. I'm going to need you fully rested tomorrow."  
  
  
  
******Authors note: See, this was originally intended to be the first chapter in a fairly long story that explained Ryoko's life on Jurai. Despite Hotsuma's appearance in this little ficlet, it was originally intended to be an AU (alternate universe), that mainly followed the *second* tenchi series, Tenchi Universe. I had really high hopes for it too...*sigh* ah well, sometimes life just gets too hectic. Who knows? Maybe I'll get around to writing it one day. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! Reviews are so appreciated, and e-mails are always answered promptly.  
  
Also- please forgive the somewhat awkward formatting, for some reason I just can't get the italics or bold print to work, dammit! 


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